Boy, 12, swept through flooded culvert

A 12-year-old boy survived being swept through a flood-swollen culvert during a thunderstorm in the Hutt Valley yesterday.

Ihaka Richmond, also 12, rang police after he saw his mate fall into the fast-flowing stream at Delaney Park in Stokes Valley yesterday afternoon.

"We just went to see how high the creek was. He slipped and I saw him fall in. He went down a drop and into the tunnel. I was really scared, I thought he would die," he told the Dominion Post newspaper.

The unnamed boy was swept 700 metres, before climbing out of the water, minus his shoes and school bag. He narrowly avoiding being swept into the swollen Hutt River.

The Westpac rescue helicopter was called and the police dive squad put on standby.

In the meantime, the boy had headed home, changed and returned to the Stokes Valley shopping centre, where his "rescuers" found him.

As much as 15 millimetres of rain fell in one hour during yesterday's downpour, MetService said.

The Hutt River flow surged from about 20 cubic metres to 230cu m per second within half an hour.

The rain came after a morning of gales which battered the Wellington region, delaying flights and damaging windows, roofs and power lines.

- NZPA